Eye floaters are spots in your vision. They may look to you like black or gray specks, strings or cobwebs that drift about when you move your eyes and appear to dart away when you try to look at them directly.

Most eye floaters are caused by age-related changes that occur as the jelly-like substance (vitreous) inside your eyes becomes more liquid. Microscopic fibers within the vitreous tend to clump and can cast tiny shadows on your retina, which appear to you as floaters.

If you notice a sudden increase in eye floaters, contact an eye specialist immediately — especially if you also see light flashes or lose your peripheral vision. These can be symptoms of an emergency that requires prompt attention.

Symptoms of eye floaters may include:

Spots in your vision that appear as dark specks or knobby, transparent strings of floating material

Spots that move when you move your eyes, so when you try to look at them, they move quickly out of your visual field

Spots that are most noticeable when you look at a plain bright background, such as a blue sky or a white wall

Spots that eventually settle down and drift out of the line of vision

When to see a doctor

Contact an eye specialist promptly if you notice:

Many more eye floaters than usual

A sudden onset of new floaters

Flashes of light

Darkness on the sides of your vision (peripheral vision loss)

These painless symptoms could be caused by a retinal tear, with or without a retinal detachment — a sight-threatening condition that requires immediate attention.

Eye floaters may be caused by:

Age-related eye changes. Eye floaters most commonly occur as a result of age-related changes in the vitreous, the jelly-like substance that fills your eyeballs and helps maintain their round shape. Over time, the vitreous partially liquefies — a process that causes it to pull away from the eyeball's interior surface. As the vitreous shrinks and sags, it clumps and gets stringy. Bits of this debris block some of the light passing through the eye, casting tiny shadows on your retina.

Inflammation in the back of the eye. Posterior uveitis is inflammation in the layers of the uvea in the back of the eye. Posterior uveitis, which can cause eye floaters, may be caused by infection or inflammatory diseases, among other causes.

Bleeding in the eye. Bleeding into the vitreous can have many causes, including injury and blood vessel problems.

Torn retina. Retinal tears can occur when a sagging vitreous tugs on the retina with enough force to tear it. Without treatment, retinal tear may lead to retinal detachment — an accumulation of fluid behind the retina that causes it to separate from the back of your eye. Untreated retinal detachment can cause permanent vision loss.

Factors that can increase your risk of floaters include:

Age over 50

Nearsightedness

Eye trauma

Complications from cataract surgery

Diabetic retinopathy

Eye inflammation

If you're concerned about eye floaters, make an appointment with a doctor who specializes in eye disorders (optometrist or ophthalmologist). If you have complications that require treatment, you'll need to see an ophthalmologist. Here's some information to help you get ready for your appointment.

What you can do

Write down your symptoms. Note situations that increase eye floaters you see or times when you see fewer eye floaters.

List medications, vitamins and supplements you take.

Write down questions to ask your doctor.

Preparing a list of questions can help you make the most of your time with your doctor. For eye floaters, some basic questions to ask include:

Why do I see these eye floaters?

Will they always be there?

What can I do to prevent more from occurring?

Are there treatments available?

Are there brochures or other printed material I can take? What websites do you recommend?

Do I need a follow-up appointment, and, if so, when?

What to expect from your doctor

Your doctor is likely to ask you a number of questions, such as:

When did your eye floaters begin?

Have your symptoms been continuous or occasional?

Have you recently noticed many new floaters?

Have you seen light flashes?

Does anything seem to improve or worsen your symptoms?

Have you ever had eye surgery?

Do you have medical conditions, such as diabetes or high blood pressure?

Your doctor will conduct a complete eye exam including eye dilation to better see the back of your eyes.

Most eye floaters don't require treatment

Eye floaters can be frustrating, and adjusting to them can take time. However, you may eventually be able to ignore them or notice them less often.

Treatments for floaters that impair your vision

Using a laser to disrupt the floaters. An ophthalmologist aims a special laser at the floaters in the vitreous, which may break them up and make them less noticeable. Some people who have this treatment report improved vision; others notice little or no difference.

Risks of laser therapy include damage to your retina if the laser is aimed incorrectly. Laser surgery to treat floaters is used infrequently.

Using surgery to remove the vitreous. An ophthalmologist removes the vitreous through a small incision and replaces it with a solution to help your eye maintain its shape. Surgery may not remove all the floaters, and new floaters can develop after surgery. Risks of vitrectomy include bleeding and retinal tears.

Reprint Permissions

A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.org," "Mayo Clinic Healthy Living," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.